Scouting reform would fall short of correcting historical unfairness

Published 6:36 pm, Friday, April 19, 2013

The Boy Scouts of America are considering a policy change that would allow gay members to join, but would still bar homosexual adults from being their leaders.

While some might see this as progress, the proposed reform would not go nearly far enough -- and it is already shamefully late.

Scouting can impart values of teamwork, camaraderie and fair play to boys approaching manhood. It should be fun and wholesome for all, and it should give a boy a sense of belonging and achievement.

But the Boy Scouts have deemed openly gay boys and men unworthy of sharing in those experiences.

Boys of scouting age are becoming aware of their emerging sexuality. And even under the proposed new arrangement, the message they would continue to get from the Boy Scouts is that if they are gay, they are not OK -- and that when they grow up, they would not be fit to be affiliated with the organization.

Generations of gay boys have grown up understanding that, on an official level, scouting was yet another institution that did not want them. Even the hyper-masculine U.S. military, after whom the Boy Scouts obviously pattern their dress and decorum, has advanced from a position of outright hostility to "don't ask, don't tell," and then onward to an official policy of open acceptance.

The Boy Scouts should leap into the 21st century -- more than a decade late -- and accept sexuality as irrelevant to their activities. In fact, in most endeavors, discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal. The Boy Scouts should reinforce that principle of fairness instead of resisting it.

If promoting equality would complicate the relationships that Boy Scout troops often have with churches, the organization should seek more tolerant congregations or break away entirely from a connection with religion.

In May, the Boy Scouts are expected to discuss lifting their ban on gay scouts. Their prohibition of gay scout leaders is reportedly not up for debate. If allowing all prospective scouts into the ranks is an incremental step, we hope the rest of the transition to equality is accomplished quickly.